REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE (No. 2) (Hansard, 13 May 1980)

§ Mr. John Wells (Maidstone)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the law relating to the registration of the nomination of candidates at elections; and for connected purposes. There are few right hon. and hon. Members of this House, except you, Mr. Speaker, and I, who have fought elections as independents. You fought your election from your present high office. I fought my independent election as a brash young man in a small municipal council, fighting both a Conservative and a Labour opponent. I have no objection to brash young men chasing around a constituency, explaining what they stand for and seeking to get people to vote for them, but I have great objection to the conduct of the National Front in the recent May elections in my constituency.

I have here a list that sounds rather like the football results. It goes like this: Sheffield 1, Blackburn 1, Bolton 2, Oldham 2. Rochdale 5, Birmingham 4, Coventry 4, Reigate and Banstead 1, and so on, down to Maidstone 9. That disastrous figure is the number of National Front candidates that put up in my constituency on 1 May.

My local newspaper, the Kent Messenger, through its deputy news editor, mounted an investigation in depth into the nomination of these nine persons. It is fair to say that it found a sprinkling of bona fide National Front supporters, but it also found that there were many people who were completely tricked and misled into supporting National Front candidates. The paper's journalists inteviewed 53 people who were sponsors of those nine candidates. I shall read out a few of the comments that were made to these investigaive journalists.

One proposer for a candidate said that two men had called and said that if she signed it would in no way involve her. They told her that her name would not be used. An 84-year-old man said that the men who came around did not explain what he was signing but he had signed just to get rid of them. A lady 1063 of 87 said that she had no idea what the National Front was and did not know what she had signed. Then there was a very silly lady who said "I always vote Liberal. A young woman came round and I signed up for the Liberals". I must assure the House that the Liberal Party does not have a monopoly of silliness in my constituency. From this sad little list of episodes I have garnered a leading Conservative who was equally silly and a leading Socialist who was, perhaps, even sillier.

I will not bore the House by reading out the comments of all these people, but the testimony of some of them is worth hearing. A man of 66 said: "Two men called. They did not give their names, but they asked me to sign a petition. It had several names on it. I did not have my glasses and I was in a hurry. I believe that it was about the lift—they said it was nothing to do with politics." A young woman—I might almost call her a dolly bird—said "I do not remember their saying that they were from the National Front. They said they were campaigning for the elderly." Again, a proposer aged 77 said he was shocked. "I feel I have been tricked. Some people called round asking whether I had any complaints about the housing. I just signed thinking that it was some sort of petition. I thought that they wanted to help us with the repairs. I would never have signed if I had known what it was for, because I am a Conservative. "Again, a man aged 86 was not at home when the journalists called, but his daughter was quite sure that he would never have supported the National Front.

Every signature of a sponsor came from a ward containing a not-very-good block of council flats in Maidstone. They were all residents of those flats—old and young, really rather sad people. They had been tricked into signing those nominations. Unfortunately, I cannot find my silly Labour supporter at the moment, so I will not hold up the House while I look for that example. I assure hon. Members that there was a Labour supporter who was just as silly as the rest.

The purpose of my Bill is simple. I do not believe that it would in any 1064 way hamper democracy. All of us who go to the count after an election have to get a declaration of secrecy, signed either by the returning officer or a magistrate. Therefore, I believe that one of the 10 signatures should be taken either in front of the returning officer or a magistrate and the person witnessing the signature should read out a simple little statement such as "You, Mrs. X, understand that by signing this paper you will be supporting Mr. Y, who is a supporter of such-and-such a party, "or "who is not a party candidate. You understand that your signature will be published in prominent places". I suggest that only one signature should be so witnessed because I do not want any brake on democracy. It will be only a slight nuisance. I am not seeking to impose deposits.

I remind the House of my own experience as a brash young man fighting as an independent I polled 200 votes on that occasion, whereas the entire National Front brigade in Maidstone earlier this month could muster only 185 votes between all nine candidates. Therefore, it was a frivolity and an impertinent intrusion on our democratic procedures.

I hope that the House will give me leave to bring in the Bill. I am a realist and I deplore the conduct of those hon. Members who bring in Ten-Minute Bills at this stage of the parliamentary Session for some do-gooding cause. In doing so they raise the hopes of a lot of worthy people outside who do not understand what is going on. I seek to bring in a Bill to put a shot across the bows of a lot of "do-badding" people, and I hope that the Home Office will take note of my intent. I know that I cannot possibly get the Bill on to the statute book this Session, but my measure is a little step forward towards controlling daft candidates. It will not stop the colourful candidates because the genuine person will be able to get one of his sponsors in front of a magistrate or returning officer. It will be no brake on democracy or on colour, but it will put a shot across the bows of evil people who have behaved evilly in my constituency in recent weeks.